CN Canadian Open - 2nd Round

Suzann Pettersen and Song-Hee Kim are tied for the lead at -9 after two rounds of the CN Canadian Women's Open.  Lorena Ochoa and Catriona Matthew are tied for third at -8 while Angela Stanford, M.J. Hur and Sun Young Yoo are tied for fifth at -7.

Pettersen led by as many as four shots Friday afternoon but suffered back-to-back bogeys late (at 7 and 8) to post a 68.  Kim came out on fire, opening with six birdies and going out in 28 (one off the Tour record for nine holes).  She bogeyed 10 to end her 59 hopes but went on post a career-low 62.  Birdies at 16 and 17 moved Song-Hee into the tie for first.  Ochoa played late on Friday and took the lead at -10 on two occasions.  She birdied three of four holes to take the lead through 12, double-bogeyed 13 to fall one behind, birdied 14 and 15 to go back in front, then finished with bogeys at 16 and 18.  Matthew was much steadier with no bogeys on the day - she birdied 15, 16 and 17 to finish at -8.  Stanford and Yoo also took no bogeys, rallying with rounds of 65 and 66 respectively.  Last week's champ Hur took the Ochoa Route to her 67 with two bogeys and an eagle at the par-5 12^th to go along with her four birdies.

First-round leader Anna Rawson dropped to T10 with a 73 and Amanda Blumenherst followed her Thursday 66 with a 75, falling to T30.  The cut was +1 - pretty low for a par-71 event - and claimed victims such as defending champ Katherine Hull, Wendy Ward, Eun Hee Ji, Brittany Lang, Ji Young Oh, Michelle Wie, Hee-Won Han and Jee Young Lee.  74 players will continue on Saturday.  Teeing off early will be Brittany Lincicome, Se Ri Pak, Helen Alfredsson, Shi Hyun Ahn and Danielle Downey (the latter two saved themselves with 67s on Friday).

As I was typing out the names of the top seven players in the lead paragraph, I noticed that six of them are in my Top 30 and the seventh is last week's winner M.J. Hur.  Right behind them on the board are Yani Tseng, Jiyai Shin, In-Kyung Kim and Karrie Webb - four players who are in my Top 10 - and right behind them are Ai Miyazato and Kristy McPherson.  So 12 of the first 16 are Top 30 players - maybe the most outstanding full-field leaderboard I've ever seen.